Stay
by JacquiDee
Summary: "Stay with me Nathan," she murmurs in a small voice.


**A/N: *shyly waves* Um hello. This is my first Haven fanfic, but I've been watching since the beginning. I sort of can't decide if I love Nathan/Audrey or Audrey/Duke more… but I will settle with this for now because, well, I loved Nathan/Audrey first. This is based on Audrey Parker's Day Off because I really don't like Audrey/Chris. I hope you like it. Happy Reading!**

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"_I have been awake for five days or whatever this is. I have seen my friends die…"_

_-Audrey Parker_

* * *

It's not like she isn't happy when Chris wakes her up (again) with a kiss. Not because he did something right last night. Because it means that Nathan's still okay. She remembers the weight that lifted off her shoulders when she realized her partner was still alive. She doesn't, however, remember much (except for asking Chris to keep Duke at the Gull because, God, she couldn't handle losing him again either) until she turns the corner in the police station and sees him blowing steam away from his coffee. She feels her heart jump and stutter and she breathes out a sigh. It's a minute before she can make her feet move towards him because she can't explain how good it feels to see him standing there. He has a familiar teasing look in his eyes as he sees her over the rim of his cup, jokingly asking if she's skipping career day. It's a funny feeling when he hands her his coffee, asking her to check the temperature for him. It's something he does every day, and she makes herself remember that she's the only one who remembers that he _died_. He looks at her funny when she drags him into the office and tells him why she's there.

"And then _I_ died?" he asks, his eyes wide. She nods and shows him her cut, mumbling on about how her injury is still there, trying to keep her relief in check because he is sitting next to her and he's fine. When Anson drives off on her, her frustration boils over and she almost bursts into tears. She drives back to Nathan as fast as she legally can and tells him of her newest revelation. He starts to mention check points and she slams that idea because there was no way she was gambling on the chance that the day would restart (again). In fact, she slams every idea he comes up with because she's seen it all before and it's not pretty. He sighs softly in defeat and she keeps babbling about Anson being the key. He looks at her long and hard and she finally leans her head against the window sill and sighs in defeat.

"I have been awake for five days or whatever this is. I have seen my friends die, and I was almost killed the last time. What if I fail and this day just keeps on going?" she rambles on, feeling the exhaustion creep in on the edges of her brain. She can't fall asleep. Nathan can't die. Duke can't die either. Nathan can't die. He presses his hands to her shoulders and she stops talking. The weight is welcoming, and she stares at his face. He half smiles, trying to reassure her, but he knows that the situation is far from funny.

"That's not gonna happen," he says softly, his deep voice soothing her frayed nerves. She sighs, not speaking for a moment, then remembers. He may not remember, but she does. She almost chuckles at the irony.

"That's what you said the last time," she mumbles, breaking eye contact. He nods his head in a little bob, but doesn't take his eyes off of her. He hasn't taken his hands from her shoulders and she realizes, with a start, that she doesn't want him to.

"I'm sure I meant it then too," he jokes, rubbing her sore shoulders ever so slightly. She's almost disappointed when Stan speaks from the doorway, ruining the moment, talking about the hit on Anson's credit card. Nathan immediately drops his hands and a small twinge of sadness curls in her stomach. The pieces fall into place and she realizes that Jeanie was the first victim as soon as the picture of the pair of green shoes pops onto the screen. Nathan meets her eyes from over his shoulder and she quickly pieces together what happened.

"Unless we stop this she's gonna die all over again," he says grimly. She feels the relief when he doesn't ask to come along again, a memory flashing of how terrified she had been when he had tried to follow her the day Chris had died (that day isn't as sad for her as the others are). She had told him not to go downtown, practically begging him. She remembers how he tried to make a point that they were changing things by talking about them. She had lunged forward, grabbing his hand. His jaw had clenched and she had begged him to stay, praying that the guilt trip had worked. Looking back on the memory, without the cascade of emotions immediately following his death, she realizes with a jolt that his jaw had clenched and a familiar glaze had coated his cerulean blue eyes. The same glaze that had covered Chris's last night (sort of). The glaze of longing, of lust. Her touch did shocking things to his body, even just a touch to his hands. She tucks that piece of information away (but don't think she won't use it).

* * *

She's sulking forlornly on the deck of the Grey Gull, brooding over the depressing outcome of today (the fifth today). She's grateful when Nathan comes out to talk to her, though she loses what little composure she's maintained and snaps about her failure. She glares at him as she complains, her eyes quickly softening when she sees his careful gaze.

"You could never fail me," he whispers quietly. There's a moment of charged silence between them (she aches to reach out and touch him again), but then she feels Chris's presence in the doorway. She doesn't have the patience for Chris. She tells him to go to London, feeling a foreboding drop in her stomach when he says that he'll come back to her. He goes back inside and she hears playful bickering as Nathan and Duke both avert their eyes. She stares at them together for a moment when Duke looks up and catches her looking. His eyes are suddenly very soft and he smiles slightly before turning away. She pulls herself behind the wall, realizing with an almost sickening speed that Duke looks at her the same way Nathan does. She hopes, selfishly she supposes, that she never has to choose.

She doesn't say goodbye to Chris when he leaves, she just can't deal with him right now. Duke leaves her be out on the deck well after closing time, coming out only to gently wrap a blanket around her as she slides to the floor, staring blankly at the ocean. She guesses maybe an hour passes before Nathan appears in the doorway, staring down at her. She can't find the energy to get up and hug him. He takes the choice away, leaning down and carefully sliding his arms around her back and under her knees. She leans into his strong hold, resting her head against his solid shoulder. It's not even hard for him to juggle her and open the door to her home at the same time. He takes her to her bed and carefully sets her on the end of it. She looks at him, wondering when the awkwardness will set in and he'll bolt. He doesn't, going to her dresser and sifting through her clothes until he finds an oversized t-shirt from her college days. He pulls her legs into his lap and pulls off her shoes and socks before moving back in front of her.

"Don't hit me," he warns before peeling off her jacket. She feels her mouth drop as he deftly unbuttons her shirt and takes that off as well. He leaves her in her cami (thankfully), and slips the shirt on over her head. "Lift up," he murmurs, unbuttoning her jeans and sliding them down her slim legs. The heat rushes her face as she imagines a different scene. He's a gentleman though, quickly sliding her shirt down to her thighs. "Stay," he orders, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he disappears into her bathroom. She stares at the door curiously when he reappears with cotton balls, alcohol, and a brush.

"Nathan," she begins to protest. He needs to go home. He _died_ today.

"Audrey, please. You saved my life today. Let me take care of you," he whispers as he pours the alcohol onto a cotton ball and carefully wipes her makeup off. "When my mom was dying, I used to take her makeup off. She didn't like how oily it made her skin." He finishes quickly, throwing the cotton balls in the trash. She feels tears rise in her eyes and slowly drip down her face. It's sad that he's had to do that and the pressure of the day has been too much. "Shhh," he croons as he drags a brush through her hair. He sets in on the table when he's done and peels back her comforter. He lifts her again and she feels more comfortable in his arms than in her bed. He pulls the blanket up over her shoulders and stand, moving to turn off the light, when she grasps his pant leg with her fingertips.

"Stay with me Nathan," she murmurs in a small voice. He looks down at her with eyes so full of love she wonders how she didn't see it before. He nods and moves only to flip the switch. She sees his silhouette as he makes his way to her bed. "Take off your shirt," she whispers to the dark. She sees him pause, then roll his shirt over his head and kick off his shoes. He slides in next to her, wrapping an arm securely around her waist. She turns so that she's facing him and presses her hands to his bare chest. He sucks in his breath and tightens his grip, leaning his head down onto the pillows.

"Audrey," he warns softly, his breath coming unevenly. She's not scared. He's not dead.

"Love me Nathan," she says quietly, pressing her lips to his chest where her hands had been. His gasp his louder this time and he raises her chin, making their lips collide. She knows that she never would have sent Nathan to London.

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"_You could never fail me."_

_-Nathan Wournos_

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**Like? Hate? Review please!**

**A/N: I know that I sort of mashed Day 4 and Day 5 together, but I didn't want to make this too terribly long.**


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